It seems like the rumours of D&D as e-sports weren't so far off after all in today's bit of unexpected news, as D&D Beyond and Encounter Roleplaying have announced DnDSports. "DnDSports is the first online D&D Tournament in a cooperative Party vs Party setting from Encounter Roleplay & DnDBeyond with a grand prize of $5,000."

Imagine if two parties fighting for opposite sides found themselves in the same dungeon. Itís kill or be killed. What will they do to survive?
DnDSports is the first online D&D Tournament in a cooperative Party vs Party setting from EncounterRoleplay & DnDBeyond with a grand prize of $5,000. Over the course of 4 weeks, 16 players will compete in teams of 4 in single elimination games. Each game is a best of 3 arena battle and played via Roll20.
How is it Played?
The full rules for DnDSports will be released shortly after our next round of Playtesting. We donít claim to have created perfect balance, nor is that our aim, as every competitive game has an element of strategy. Weíre also implementing MOBA-esque mechanics such as a Pick/Ban phase to help expand the strategy. Weíve been working closely with over a dozen talented DMs to create 15 pre-generated characters from which the players will choose, and adapt the pre-existing Dungeons & Dragons: 5th Edition rules.

We know that this will be an incredibly fun new way to play D&D, because as long as youíre having fun, youíre doing it right!

When is it?
Day 1: November 10th at 12pm PST
Heat 1: Team Beholder vs. Team Mindflayer

Day 2: November 17th at 12pm PST
Heat 2: Team Kobold vs. Team Tarrasque

Day 3: November 24th at 12pm PST
All Stars Charity game for 826LA foundation

Day 4: December 1st at 12pm PST
Grand Finals
Where can I watch it?
Watch live on Twitch here.
The VODs will be uploaded to Youtube here.
Who is involved?
The EncounterRoleplay & DnDBeyond crews have teamed up to bring this production to life!
As for whoís competing? Keep an eye on the DnDSports Twitter & here on the blog to learn more about the teams as they are revealed!

But D&D Shouldnít be an eSport?!
Itís not an eSport. We created something that would make competitive gamers feel safe and comfortable trying out D&D5e for the first time. Itís a new way to display the versatility of combat in D&D5e in a unique setting. We encourage you to respect the way different people play D&D because we know that this will be a fun event and there is no wrong to play D&D, as long as you are having fun!

"D&D has always had a competitive streak. Many of co-creator Gary Gygax's published adventures were adapted from tournaments that were played competitively at conventions, like Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan and Tomb of Horrors.

Thanks to its wargaming roots, tournament play was well-established by the time D&D came along. Tournaments were associated with wargaming conventions. The first large-scale D&D tournament took place at Origins in Baltimore, MD on July 25-27. An estimated 1,500 attended, with 120 participating in the D&D tournament."

Started playing D&D in 1977 and this is totally not for me and in no way how I see D&D. But hey, if the young new players want this then knock yourself out. My friends and I benefit if this helps make the game more popular.

I don't understand this. Without a strong narrative, acting, or at least some comicalness, D&D is not really entertaining to watch. It's not even that good for people who are interested in tactics, strategy, and the likes because D&D (even more so 5e with bonded accuracy) is mostly about randomness. I can't picture this becoming any popular, D&D is too different from competitive strategy games like League of Legends or Starcraft that have become popular as "e-sports".

Started playing D&D in 1977 and this is totally not for me and in no way how I see D&D. But hey, if the young new players want this then knock yourself out. My friends and I benefit if this helps make the game more popular.

I started playing in 1980. My very first game I was DM. And I remember competitive play, in fact some of my very first adventures had instructions for doing just that.

Sure there was a tournament scoring system if you really wanted to see how well your party did against other parties by comparing points but it wasn't head to head competition for money, that will be aired. Like a prior poster said, D&D isn't designed for esports.

I don't understand this. Without a strong narrative, acting, or at least some comicalness, D&D is not really entertaining to watch. It's not even that good for people who are interested in tactics, strategy, and the likes because D&D (even more so 5e with bonded accuracy) is mostly about randomness. I can't picture this becoming any popular, D&D is too different from competitive strategy games like League of Legends or Starcraft that have become popular as "e-sports".

I'd argue that under most circumstances, D&D is not very entertaining to watch, but that's a wholly different topic.

Regardless, Critical Role occasionally has one-shot battle royale filler shows in which all the regular party members fight to the death, and those shows still amass a lot of viewers. The point being, as long as the players are popular and entertaining within the community, people will watch. It doesn't have anything to do with attracting the eSports crowd.

One really can't judge the format until the rules have been given. But knowing ERP its all about fun. So at least you can watch something without the caustic remarks one normally hears in normal esports. Looking forward to seeing it.

Total conjecture on my part, but I am guessing it won't be your average Joe playing on the teams. If they started with some well known faces on each team, they could actually build a fan base. I am thinking Critical Role players, maybe some WotC or AL personalities, or other streaming groups like Satine Phoenix etc.

Total conjecture on my part, but I am guessing it won't be your average Joe playing on the teams. If they started with some well known faces on each team, they could actually build a fan base. I am thinking Critical Role players, maybe some WotC or AL personalities, or other streaming groups like Satine Phoenix etc.

They're certainly not going to pull in a bunch of random no name streamers.

It seems to me that while 5e is a better game for the likes of Critical Role, an actual tabletop "sport" would benefit from something more like Pathfinder or 4E. There's too much wiggle room in 5e for impartiality in the ref/GM.

Unless -- and oh my God I hope they are doing this -- it's more like the WWE. That'd be amazing.

Reviews

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